SOL
by MissKeith
Summary: Rejection isn't the end for Sheldon. It's only the beginning.
1. Mechanical Vanity

Chapter One

"Mechanical Vanity"

It's nearly eleven when Sheldon wandered into the kitchen covered in oil and muck. Nora sat at the table sipping her coffee, filling out a chart and trying to ignore the bubbling of the coffee maker. She looks up at Sheldon and smiles warmly; how she would have loved to have a son like him. With warm hospitality Nora gives him a nod, the sign that his tasks for the day are complete. Sheldon walked over to the kitchen sink and turned the faucet on. He dipped his hands into the water and tried to wash the grease from them. Nora chuckled to herself.

"Good luck getting that mess off of you", she commented before sipping her coffee.

"I know. It's stained my skin so bad, I have pigmentation now", Sheldon mocked, looking over his shoulder at Nora.

"Haha. Yes, that's a good one," she chuckled, adjusting the figures on her chart.

Sheldon grabbed his grease rag off his shoulder to dry his hands. A dower expression is on his face as he scrubs his dry hands monotonously. Nora finished entering the data on her chart. She leaned back in her chair, pinching her nose. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Sheldon hunched over the sink.

"Sheldon…"

...

"Sheldon"

...

"Sheldon! For god sakes use your eardrums!" Nora snapped.

Sheldon bolted upright. He turned to Nora, dirty, worn and tired. She gestured for him to come to her and he complied. Sheldon slumped over to the kitchen table, taking a seat opposite of the motherly scientist. Twiddling his thumbs, he tried to avoid eye contact.

"Sheldon my boy…you seem a little…is something the matter?" she asked tenderly.

Sheldon looked up briefly, shaking his head no and then looking away.

"You seem very distracted."

"Well…I'm just, a little tired", sheldon shrugged his shoulders, eyes darting from Nora to the table.

"Hm. Perhaps I've been working you too hard lately?" Nora commented.

"Yeah…I'm just, a little run down", he adverted his eyes, softly rubbing his hand.

"I see…"

"Heh…Heh…yeah…"

"You know Sheldon. From one scientist to another…" Nora began, pausing as Sheldon lifted his head enough for her to see his watery eyes; she retracted her current opposition for a new approach. "…you seem…distracted. "

Sheldon looked away, lowering his head into his arms. What troubles youth have.

Nora sipped her coffee, assessing Sheldon. After a long thoughtful pause, she grabbed her charts from the table and tucked them under her arm. Sheldon remained at her table with his hands folded. His face settled into a blank expression, broken by Nora's voice.

"Go wash up upstairs before you head home", she says. "You'll likely be struck by a car if you try to ride your bike home as is."

Sheldon nodded.

"Oh, and Sheldon?" Nora softly remarked as he turned to leave.

"Yes, Ms. Wakeman?"

"You should get out clean…in time to catch XJ-9 as she comes home", Nora smiled.

Sheldon went up the stairs with a little hope in his walk. He felt a little better, a faint smile on his face. Sheldon walked into the bathroom, sighing as he sees his reflection. He is covered in…everything. After pulling his shirt over his head Sheldon does his best to clean up.

Jenny arrives shortly after. She walked through the lab, surrounded by darkness. One light shines near the kitchen door, which is a glowing computer screen. Nora, her mother was typing away as she logged in diagnostics. Jenny looked around timidly as she approached her mother.

"Sheldon's not in here dear", Nora commented.

"Ha, who said I'm looking for Sheldon?" Jenny scoffed, crossing her arms and quickly surveying room.

"System's check complete", Nora proclaimed as she shut down the computer. "Running just fine…I tell you XJ-9, that boy knows his mechanics. This machine should run better than ever."

Jenny looked over at the machine, a little surprised. Nora pet the metallic side of her creation with a smile. Jenny sees the work her mother, and Sheldon have put into her fellow machine. She smiled, truly impressed.

"That's…great mom."

"Never could have asked for a better apprentice", Nora sighed.

"W-What? What was that?" Jenny squeaked as she adjusted her ponytail antennas.

"Oh, did I stutter? He's been advancing so rapidly in his skill, now that he's not using primitive tools like rubber bands and…swiss army knives", she chuckled. "I've decided to ask him to upgrade from assistant to apprentice. Isn't that swell?"

Jenny felt like she was growing pale.

In the restroom, Sheldon has cleaned up. He slipped his jacket back on with a smile. Nothing like being clean. Smiling to himself he styled his hair and dabbed at his face with a hand towel.

Sheldon whistled to himself as he headed to the stairs. As he started to descend Sheldon heard a muffled argument. One of the voices was Jenny. He kneeled and tried to listen.

"Oh, stop being so hormonal XJ-9. Sheldon will make a superb apprentice!"

"Oh, I have no doubts about that!" Jenny growled as she sat up in her seat. "But, mom…he'll practically be living here! I don't think my circuits could handle it", she wrapped her arms around her head and dropped it to the table.

"He's a nice guy, I can't figure why you're always trying to bring him down"

"Because he's a creep when he's not trying to be prince charming-when he is trying to be prince charming!" frustrated, Jenny shook her fists and ground her teeth. "Stalking me and pestering me. ALL THE TIME!"

"How could I have created something so incredibly vain! You don't even want to give the poor boy a chance," Nora shouted back at her daughter.

"A chance? If I gave him a chance he'd probably rewire me!" Jenny shivered at the thought. "Granted, he's a really nice, sweet guy…and he is my friend, he does care for me…but seriously! Mom he's crazy obsessed with me!"

Sheldon crept down the stairs till he could see them. He watched intently from the crack in the kitchen door with wide eyes. Jenny's honest thoughts sounded a lot like the first time she had yelled at him in front of the broken heart gang. Her opinion hadn't really changed at all over the years. She just tolerated him so he wouldn't go crazy or something.

"He's brilliant!" Nora yelled, waving her arms wildly in the air. "Should be able to surpass me in robotics before he's even out of his prime! And he's a charming lad…"

"God! I can't hear this right now! You always take his side. Stop wasting your time trying to push us together it just isn't going to happen!"

"Isn't going to happen…pish posh", Nora scoffed. "You two were made for each other."

Sheldon nearly smiled at Nora's tender comment. But when Jenny spun on her heel eyes filled with rage all his hopes were shattered.

"Just stop it! I am never going to hook up with that guy! He's a stalker. He's a creep. He's a…a…god mom have you looked at him?" Jenny's arms swing to her sides as she lets her mouth hang open.

"Jenny!" Nora was ashamed and disappointed with her daughter.

"No. Hear me for once!" she sternly said. "Sheldon is…Sheldon is ugly! He's an ugly thorn in my side, that follows me around and stalks me! The only reason he likes me is because I'm made of metal…the only reason he's working for you is so he can be around me ALL-THE-TIME!"

"I can't believe you would be so…vain!"

"Listen, I know discrimination mother. I'm a six foot robot…but even I could never love a face like that. Someone as pathetic as Sheldon!" Jenny turned her head upwards and scoffed.

Sheldon stepped back from the door, bags under his wide eyes.

"XJ-9. I'm…very disappointed in you", her tone caught Jenny's attention. "It's fine if you feel that way, just don't…say such things to the poor boy's face when he descends", Nora's large eyes met Jenny's as she continued. "I think it would crush him"

Sheldon fumbled into the downstairs bathroom. Tears formed in Sheldon's eyes. He heard the doorknob jiggling. Jenny opened the downstairs bathroom and walked inside. She reached for a can of oil and closed the cupboard.

Sheldon threw his bedroom door open and flung himself on his bed. Exhausted, Sheldon wept into his pillow until what little energy he had left was drained from him. He rolled onto his back and wiped his nose with his sleeve. Starring at his ceiling Sheldon felt his eyelids grow heavy. Before he knew it he had fallen asleep.


	2. Humans Don't Have Batteries

Chapter Two

"Humans Don't Have Batteries"

As far back as he could recall Sheldon had been an unlucky guy. From the time a kid glued his mouth shut in first grade to the pool incident last week he had always gotten the short end of the stick. But a sliver of light entered his life the day he met _her_.

_Jenny Wakeman_.

Not only was she a girl, but she was the physical being of everything he strived for as an inventor; Jenny Wakeman was a robot. A robot girl who laughed and cried when she didn't get her way, a beautiful soul encased in the shell of an earth defending machine. Perfect. In _every_ way. Though at the moment Jenny didn't really see Sheldon as more than a friend he had always assured his self that one day things would change in his favor.

However, yesterday Jenny had unknowingly revealed her honest opinion of Sheldon. He had overheard her speaking with her mother while he cleaned up in their guest bathroom downstairs. Nora had brought him along as her apprentice nearly a year ago and since then Sheldon practically had moved in to the Wakeman home, but the extra face time hardly helped his case with Jenny. She had told her mother that he was _weird_, a _stalker_ and worst of all _ugly_.

Jenny Wakeman was a six foot tall humanoid robot painted white and blue, but she understood human aesthetics. Sheldon wasn't attractive to normal teenage girls and therefore wasn't attractive to her. This is why Sheldon is currently sitting alone in the back of the library. If it's utterly hopeless for him to win her over, perhaps there is still a chance for the Silver Shell to make Jenny realize how smooth he could be. At least until he could find a way to make himself more appealing to the female species.

Sheldon tentatively prodded at his latest project's inner mechanisms. It was a watch that he had fiddled with for weeks trying to enhance the range in which he could summon the Silver Shell exoskeleton. Last week to his dismay Sheldon had found the boundary while under the bleachers of the football field.

"I just can't think of a way to enhance the signal without compromising the size of my watch…" He mumbled quietly to himself as he flipped through a few pages of his pocket notebook. "Maybe if I try this", Sheldon entered a code and waited for the results.

An outgoing signal was sent, but never reached the exoskeleton. Sheldon noted that he had somewhere around fifteen minutes till his next class. Because his afterschool hours were devoted to homework, Nora and Jenny Sheldon tried his best to advance his own projects during free periods at school and the wee hours of the morning. The dark circles under his eyes were highly unattractive he knew, but all the work he was putting in now would assuredly pay off in the hopefully near future.

A soft rumbling occurred beneath the school. Sheldon dismissed it as an earthquake at first, but the tremor was resonating. A hoard of sounds grew beneath his feet. It sounded like hornets. Pressure built beneath the school till the creatures started spouting from under the pavement by the hundreds. Basketball sized metallic insects with red eyes and pointed features. Sheldon somehow found his way to the library's exit amongst the storm of shredded paper.

He ran as fast as his spindly legs would carry him hoping those wretched creatures would not catch up. One broke from the swarm and latched onto his shoulder, digging it's pincher into his shoulder. Sheldon lost his footing in the pain and fell forwards. He rolled to the best of his ability, trying to avoid agitating the creature already on him.

Sheldon shut his eyes and waited for the others to swarm him. A thundering sound separated him from them followed by the object in his shoulder being removed. He opened his eyes and saw through a hazy filter of pain and poisoned delusion a figure of blue and white.

Jenny held the writhing wasp in a firm grasp. Her fist clenched and broke the mindless bug to pieces seconds before she swung a spiked fist towards the swarm. They focused their attention on her, forgetting the boy curled up on the floor. Hallucinating from the venom Jenny squeezed out of the creature Sheldon somehow got to his feet and began wandering down the hall. He bumped against the lockers, barely keeping his footing as he tried to move forwards.

"…Must help…Jenny…" He weezed.

The pain was numbed by the lack of coherency. A familiar figure, a peach and red smudge tried to grab him, pull him to safety but Sheldon refused. He pushed the boy away and kept walking, following the floating imagery about him. Brad tried to follow after Sheldon, but a hoard of the creatures came through the windows and chased after him and the others still in the school.

His back pressed to the wall, Sheldon tried to even out his breathing and clear his mind. He tried to ignore the growing visions and constant pain. In his moment of weakness he knew he had only one choice. The Silver Shell was summoned.

Middleton onlookers watched the well known silver saucer icon fly through the sky. It transformed and landed in front of Sheldon, in its humanoid form. The Silver Shell stood as a husk, a vessel waiting to be manned. The chest door slowly folded open, lowering a ladder that Sheldon weakly crawled up. As he sat back in the cockpit the burden of exposure faded; in his suit of near invincible armor Sheldon could be a true hero and fight through the pain. He pulled a syringe from a side compartment and stabbed his thigh with the long needle to buy himself some time. Sheldon sat for a moment, feeling the steroid rush through his body. He slid his hands into the arm control and brought his Frankenstein creation to life.

The first couple steps rang the bells in Sheldon's head, but he kept going till it was a numbed pain. As he left the bleachers Sheldon caught movement on one of his surveillance screens. It was a familiar adversary.

_Vexes_.

The sleek female robot appeared in a whir of familiar creatures, her green eyes slanted with mischief. Vexes took caution and kept a safe distance from her foe, allowing her servants to accompany her proximity as protection. She smiled with an almost human smugness.

"Shell darling", she began smoothly, her eyes looking him over. "I have to say I didn't know what to expect when you called."

Called her? This was news to Sheldon.

"W-What?" He stammered, the computer adjusting his scratchy tone to sound more casual by default. "I didn't…"

"Well that's why I came", Vexes sniped. "The signal you sent out lured my pets to your location", she took a moment to absorb the silence and then chuckled.

"I had no intention of luring you here", Shell countered, his fists raised.

"Now now", She teased, her body evaporating into tiny metallic insects. "I'd planned to invite you to join my legion, but you are still in favor of the humans?" Vexes hissed with venom in her tone. "This affection you feel for them is a disease I will cure. I believe I already cleansed the planet of XJ9's pathetic groupie", as she vanished she left him with a taunting chuckle. "Unlikely he will survive. Such a shame, he would have made a useful slave rebuilding my empire."

Sheldon lowered his head, circles building under his eyes as he felt his body growing numb. His mind was working so slowly everything at this point came down to instinct. Vexes was going back to the school. She was going to attack his friends. Jenny was in danger. Sheldon knew he had to save Jenny.

So he activated Silver Shells rocket boots and headed towards the screams.

Jenny was fighting with all her might, fists trailing blue electricity with every wild swing. There were so many of them swarming her, attacking her classmates and draining her battery. She couldn't go on like this forever. A hoard of them swarmed her, slowly overcoming Jenny in a pile of metal.

A light rained down from the sky and the creatures went flying. Their bodies flinched on the floor, slowly recovering the damaged circuitry. Crawling to one another they combined to make Vexes clones. The grey duplicates made deep unnatural sounds as their eyes opened up with a blood red light.

"Silver Shell", Jenny sounded weak as she looked up her rescuer. "You came"

"You needed me", was all he said.

They worked together, fighting side by side against the Vexes clones. Now there was a chance for victory. But as the numbers started to finally dwindle a game changer arrived. A swarm burst through the gym windows and formed Vexes. She stood arrogantly at the opposite end of the basketball court with her clones standing between her and the dynamic duo. A dark smile mocked Jenny.

"Vexes!" Jenny called, her black eyes narrowed. "I should have known it was you!"

"Why yes Jennifer…you should have", was Vexes' dry response. "Of course you also shouldn't have let yourself stray from your friends."

"What are you talking about?" Jenny screamed.

She heard cries from outside. Her friends were screaming in pain. Jenny didn't think she just flew through the roof. Shell tried to follow, but the clones were on him as soon as Jenny left. Sheldon tried to focus but he was getting so tired. He knew he couldn't last much longer. As a last resort he set his new secret weapon to charge and hoped he would still be alive when it was ready.

Jenny starred in horror as she watched her friends lying on the pavement. Each one had a red stain on them, blood from the stingers. Some of them weren't moving. Tucker was standing amongst the bodies, tears pouring down his paled cheeks. Brad was amongst the injured.

Jenny was at his side in moments.

"Brad!" she fumbled for the first time in her life as she tried to find the spot where he had been stung. "Where did they get you!" Jenny lifted him up into her arms and held on tightly.

"They didn't get me", he admitted meekly. "I twisted my ankle trying to get away, I told Tuck I was fine but he keeps crying."

"Tuck", she softened her voice to try and sooth the startled youth. "Your brother's fine, he didn't get stung…everything's going to be okay."

"B-B-B….B-B-Bu-ut", Tuck stammered as he tried to speak through his crying. "They're not okay…Jenny they won't wake up", his eyes looked sunken as he pointed to the glossy eyed bodies on the floor.

"W-What's wrong with them?"

Jenny leaned down and looked into the face of a girl she had seen wandering the halls of her school. She had long brown hair held with a headband and large blue eyes; they looked dull and empty like a blinking phones dying light. At first Jenny didn't understand what was wrong with her. But as the girl remained stiller than she had ever seen a human do Jenny realized what was wrong with her classmate.

"It's likely that XJ9 has seen my latest work", Vexes hummed as she strode towards the dented Silver Shell. "Untreated, the sting from my minions is quite lethal. Of course, being robots you and she are immune", Vexes pointed out with a smile. "She will now see how different we are from _them_"

Sheldon thought about poor Jenny facing death for the first time. She'd never seen anyone die. He reminded himself that he was also dying. His suit let him know that his secret weapon was ready, and without much thought Sheldon fired. A blinding white light left his suit's hands. Vexes dodged the attack and it disintegrated everything it touched. He could see Jenny standing in the distance holding a body. It was hard to concentrate, but he hit the auto pilot for Shell's saucer form and fled the scene.

Vexes took the opportunity to disappear as well.

The Silver Shell crash-landed without transforming besides Jenny. She had set Brad down in the grass and focused her attention on the girl on the floor. Jenny held the limp body in her arms and to her sorrow could not shed a tear for her fallen classmate. Jenny looked back at the silver saucer half buried in the tainted soil.

"I will never know what it is like to be human", she whispered. "I'm alone"

Sheldon felt the steroid wearing off, but even through the pain he tried to console his friend. He took a knee and gently cupped her face with his hand. For the first time in a long time he wanted to tell her the truth. Jenny deserved to know that The Silver Shell was just the shell of a boy who was blinded by love. It was however, that love that kept his lips sealed.

"You will always have me, Jennifer", the words that left him were spoken in sorrow but Jenny only heard affection. "I will always be there for you"

"Thank you Shell", Jenny smiled an almost human smile. "I love you"


	3. Back on Track

S.O.L

"_You will always have me, Jennifer", the words that left him were spoken in sorrow but Jenny only heard affection. "I will always be there for you" _

"_Thank you Shell", Jenny smiled an almost human smile. "I love you"_

Chapter Three: Back on Track

POP!

Nora noted that her toast was ready as she made a few more marks with her red correcting pen. Today she'd stayed home from work, well her side job anyway. As her daughter Jenny had evolved on her own, mentally at least, into a young woman Nora had sought other ways to occupy herself. Jenny didn't want to carry on as an inventor; it wasn't that she lacked the knowledge, just the drive. She didn't see the point in going out and making other robots just to limit them with a skill.

Said daughter strolled into the kitchen and pulled a can of oil from the cupboard. She brought the toast as she joined her mother at the table; there wasn't a single open inch for her to sit the can down on. Jenny sipped the liquid daintily, still admiring how slender her new fingers were.

A few weeks ago her mother had agreed to design a new exoskeleton for her; it had less edges, more curves and made her look like the young woman she had grown into.

"Are you on your way to class, Jennifer?" Nora asked as she straightened out her papers.

"Yeah", Jenny sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "Just have to do my homework"

"You haven't written that paper yet?" she questioned softly. "Isn't it due shortly? Perhaps in half an hour?"

"Hold on", Jenny looked off into space and calculated for a moment before she spat out a three page paper. "I'm done. Bye mom"

"Jennifer", Nora scolded as her daughter leaned over to kiss her forehead.

"See you when I get home, after I hit the bar with Brad!" she cheered as she went out the front door.

Nora stifled a chuckle. She fondly recalled her college years. Of course kids those days really knew how to party. And it was more or less legal back then too. Memories of hazy vans and late night swims were interrupted by the sudden sharp alarm of an incoming call. Tapping the button on the side of her earpiece Nora accepted it.

"Nora Wakeman", she cheerfully answered but as the caller spoke her brow lowered as she tried to understand. "You need me to do what?" Nora scribbled some notes on a piece of scrap paper, her hands jittery from shock. "Yes, I can arrange that…Yes", a motherly smile made its way onto her face. "See you soon dear"

Jenny joined her classmates at the campus café. They already had their drinks, knowing Jenny wouldn't be able to have one. Harriet smiled and shook Jenny's hand in her usual fashion; she adjusted the headband that held her long brown hair out of her face. Scarlet leapt forwards and wrapped Jenny in a tight squeeze; as she stepped back and smiled from ear to ear Jenny admired her short tight blonde curls as they bounced. The girls left together and headed for class.

A boy nearby lowered his book, looked over at the giddy group of girls and smiled. His eyes watched them till the door closed, the gentle ring of the bell his signal to follow after them. He stayed out of sight, in the crowd so Jenny wouldn't notice him. The mystery man walked to the back of the class where no one would notice a new face in the crowd. It was easy enough to blend in.

After class Jenny left with her girlfriends. They had a second class that day, but Jenny was free. Since everybody wasn't supposed to meet up till later she told them she was going on patrol. Vexes had been resurfacing as of late, making small hits here and there. Jenny felt it oddly convenient, since the Silver Shell hadn't been around for four years. Even though Jenny had a full class load on her plate and a life of her own she had grown to understand that she had a duty to the people of Middleton.

Jenny just wanted to be a normal girl, but that wasn't the right choice to make. She had friends and family that she cared too much for. Heroes aren't born, they're made people say. Well, Jenny was made to be a hero and regretfully made the best of her destiny.

She lowered herself onto a rooftop. Walking along the ledge she scanned the city, noting how over such a short period of time it had begun to expand. Jenny wondered where the Silver Shell had gone. It had seemed he wanted to fight alongside her forever back when she was younger. He had promised. Wasn't he a hero? Didn't he care what happened to this place or to her? Maybe he didn't. He'd be here fighting if he cared.

"I won't lose another friend", she whispered as she pulled out a photo from high school; it was her, Brad, Tuck and Sheldon. "Jeez, Shell…I hope someday you decide to come back home", she compared it to the photo taken at Tucker's first day at middle school; he was nearly all grown up. "The old gang misses you"

She heard the chime of Middleton Middle School. Brad would likely be there to pick Tuck up from school. Now wasn't really a time she felt like hanging out. Jenny ignited her rocket boots and flew off in the opposite direction. She would see Brad later anyway.

…

The night went by fast. Jenny hadn't drunk a drop since it didn't affect her, but she had fun all the same. Her friends were singing and dancing, Brad was tipsy beyond repair and there she was babysitting. However, it had felt good to get out and do something normal. It wasn't even that late, only ten o'clock since Brad had class in the morning.

Jenny didn't find herself shocked to see that the Wakeman _garage_ was still buzzing with activity. Her mother recharged her batteries less often than Jenny at times, or at least it seemed that way. She worried about her mother sometimes. The woman had worked her entire life to better humanity, but as Jenny had come to realize the indefinite nature of human fatality she'd come to be ever more aware that her mother was older and continuously getting more so.

There was the feint familiar sound of clattering metal and shifting papers as Jenny entered her mother's workspace. Nora often muttered to herself while she worked, but it sounded like she was holding a mutual conversation for once. Jenny gave into curiosity and tip-toed forwards careful not to make any noise and sneak a peek at her mother's mystery visitor. Peeking around a cabinet corner Jenny was surprised to find that her mother was conversing with a younger gentlemen; she only saw him from the back but guessed he was somewhere in his early twenties.

Nora looked past the young man mid conversation when she noticed Jenny's 'hair' sticking out from her hiding spot. Her mother smiled warmly and gestured for her to come forth. After Nora spoke a few words to their guest he turned around with a bright countenance.

"…" Jenny found herself at a loss for words.

It took a few seconds- far too long for her state of the art processing -to calculate that she was looking at an old friend. An old friend that had changed _a lot_.

Sheldon's hair was cut and styled rather charmingly, but his face was what made Jenny double-take. He looked completely different. Still Sheldon, she could see it in his face but shaped candidly in a more appealing fashion. This had to be delirium. Jenny stared blankly as he gleefully strutted over to her with an extended hand.

She looked down at the extended gesture and back up to him. He smiled tenderly as he reached out and grabbed her hand; he shook it once and let go. His amusement at her flustered state breached his composure for just a moment, but Jenny hadn't noticed. Sheldon kept himself from blushing as he took in the reunion with heartwarming tenderness. It had been nearly four years after all.

"Jenny", the clear tone of his voice made her jump. "Ah. You've gone through some changes yourself", he pointed out as he gestured to her new frame.

"Yes", Jenny commented, her hand going to adjust hair she didn't have. "I…I've gone through some changes…" she couldn't help but look him over. "…but you look completely different. You look good"

She forgot for a moment that she was talking to Sheldon- Jenny _obsessed_ Sheldon -when he didn't bat an eye at her comment. After a pause he smiled, ran his hand through his hair and gave her a little shrug. A charmed smile cracked onto Jenny's face for just a moment, but when she noticed the look on her mother's face she flat lined.

"Oh, is something the matter?" he asked worriedly. "I hope I haven't already made a fool of myself…I promised my reflection this morning I'd behave"

"I…no. No…" Jenny brought her closed palm to her chest like the pining schoolgirl she had once been; looking away she hoped he missed the slight whir of her inner workings. "You've been…" she lost her train of thought for a moment and smiled when she found she didn't really know what she should be doing. "I just can't believe how much you've changed…"

"People grow up", he commented idly, gesturing to her new frame with slight indication. "just as technology evolves"

"Sheldon" Jenny suddenly realized she had so many questions; there were nearly four years worth of data she was missing. "Where have you been?"

He flashed an expression Jenny nearly missed; was it guilt? Sheldon shook it off, covering it with meek smile. Perhaps she shouldn't press the matter just yet. People were entitled to their privacy and she was sure Sheldon had his reasons.

"Sheldon has agreed to continue his apprenticeship"

Nora stepped forwards and grabbed Sheldon by the arm. Jenny noticed that old gleeful twinkle return to her mother's eye. She'd always loved Sheldon and had expressed on more than one occasion how he could be the only one smart enough to take over her unfinished work.

"Oh!" Jenny exclaimed with earnest surprise. "That's wonderful…is um, that why you decided to come back?"

Sheldon shook his head with a teasing smile. "I just felt homesick was all"

"Well" Jenny smiled as she reached out and pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm glad. With Vexes plotting and all it's nice to know you're somewhere safe. Tomorrow we should all go see a movie or something. Tucker's missed you so much. I think he'll be happier than anyone to see you! If he recognizes you that is…"

"Yes, of course", Sheldon chuckled as the two pulled apart; he rubbed his eye with the heel of his palm tiredly. "The move has taken a lot out of me", he told Jenny, adding a yawn for emphasis. "I should go home"

"Where are you staying?" Jenny questioned curiously.

"Just a little place nearly out of town", he made a so-so gesture with his hand. "It's cheap and quiet"

Sheldon turned to shake Nora's hand; his free hand wrapped the top of their departing gesture to solidify his regret. Jenny accepted his handshake and walked him to the door. It felt odd to have him leave on his own accord. She lingered in the doorway as he headed down the driveway with his hands in his pockets. Before he was too far away he called out to her.

"Tomorrow sounds wonderful by the way. I look forward to it"

Jenny smiled softly as she closed the garage door. It clicked closed with soft regret.

…

Sheldon had a place of his own on the outskirts of Middleton. There weren't many neighbors, a fact he was quite fond of. He'd been settling back in town for nearly a month now, without distraction or nuisances, managing to relocate ahead of schedule.

The building's exterior was nothing to be proud of, but he had always had a soft spot for damaged covers. It used to be a three level thrift store back in the day. Inside the walls still needed some paint, but everything electrical worked and the place had been cleaned. Sheldon hung his keys on a single white thumbtack stuck in the wall at the crossroads of the stairs; up meant going to his living quarters to sleep and below meant working in the lab till dawn.

With a critical eye Sheldon headed downstairs. He tapped the wall to his right and opened a key panel which read his fingerprints. Once inside Sheldon hardened, his eyes narrowed with dark concentration. Strolling to the center counter, Sheldon held out his hand, gently brushing his fingertips along the clothed figure.

"I got quite the surprise today", he whispered in a cold tone to it. "An unfortunate one for you", his hand gripped the sheet and slowly pulled it back. "_My_ Jenny has grown up"

Beneath the sheet lay a replica, a shadow of the former Jenny Wakeman. Its face stared blankly at the ceiling as it sat a heap of metal half covered in unfinished wiring. He gently brushed its cheek with a regretful smile.

"Please escort the young lady to the hiatus room", Sheldon whispered as he fastened his work goggles.

From the shadows came a figure, well rounded and ready to obey her master's orders. The robot was painted pink, had long antennas and bared an equally eerie resemblance to Jenny. As she hoisted her unfinished sister into her arms Sheldon leaned over and brushed his fingertips against the lukewarm metal of her frame. These cheaper models tended to overheat at times.

"Square one yet again", he flatly stated as he grabbed a piece of scrap metal and began meticulously bending it with the aid of his torch. "How unfortunate for my schedule"

((Author's Note))

I'm soooooo sorry this took so long guys! I got caught up working on my comics and writing Freakazoid fanfiction! Anyway i've read all your threatening letters telling me to update this story and...i'm back on track. lol. heehee...puns.

So I hope you guys enjoyed the new chapter, I look forward to hearing if it was worth the wait or not. Hopefully it was. Promise i'll have another chapter up this weekend since i've written pretty far ahead on my other story. Do check out my Freakazoid fic if you're up for some freaky fun, it's called "Glitch"


	4. Tuck's Promise

Chapter Four

"Tuck's Promise"

It was like old times again, the gang back together, Jenny smiling and giggling all the time instead of random bouts of starring off into space. Nora didn't mind letting her daughter have some time off if it meant she would be happy, truly happy for once and not just smiling to keep her from worry. Brad was glad that Sheldon was back, admitting that things just weren't the same without his wacky inventions, but he soon found out that his friend had evolved over the few years he had been gone- Sheldon was a prodigy after all and it reflected in his newfound craftsmanship. Tuck, he was the happiest of them all grinning from ear to ear all day at school, scribbling pictures of the Silver Shell in his notebook.

The school bell rang and Tuck ran at the head of the tween pack vacating the premises. Even though Brad had told him to go straight home after school, Sheldon had instructed him by a note in his locker to meet him at the park. So he met his long lost friend in the park where he had been instructed to, excited beyond reason because Tucker hadn't seen Sheldon yet.

Middleton Park after school hours often found itself an attraction, filled to the brim with teens and younger wandering about trying to find something to do due to lack of allowance- a good hang out spot. Tuck was convinced finding Sheldon wasn't going to prove to be that difficult because the Sheldon he remembered was pretty unordinary, sticking from crowds like a sore thumb- not that he saw him as anything less than a genius, but others had their opinions.

It was in fact a tree where he found Sheldon awaiting him; he leaned against the trunk cool and collected, waiting with solemn patience. Tuck noticed a kind of hardness to his friends face as he focused on adjusting something round his wrist- a new invention he guessed. But when Shell felt that familiar awareness that someone was watching him he peered up, cautious at first like he was expecting unfriendly company, but then he saw Tucker and his face softened.

For a moment his new face looked just like his old one.

"Shell!" Tucker dashed over to his friend, nearly toppling him over with a powerful hug; he held tight, fearing that perhaps Sheldon orchestrated this meeting to say his goodbyes once again. "You were gone longer than you said! You promised you were coming back"

Sheldon rested his hand on the top of the boys head and genuinely smiled; Tucker had grown a few feet, but he was as emotional and caring as ever. In his heart Sheldon couldn't help but have a soft spot for the little scamp, who at times was his only defender. Because he was naturally loyal Tucker was the only one trustworthy of keeping his promises among Sheldon's few resources. Even Nora, as much as Sheldon loved her could not be entrusted with _everything_.

Not that Tucker was told every little detail either, but he knew more than any sixth grader should about his secret identity and under wraps inventions- more than Nora. He had been entrusted with Sheldon's most loathed yet vital invention as its guardian, keeper of its origin and only knower of its location. Sheldon's trust in the seemingly overzealous youth had proven to be a wise move as tuck had held to his promises.

"Did I lie to you?" Sheldon whispered as he gripped Tuck by the shoulders and gently eased him away. "I have returned, unharmed as promised"

A strange look crossed Tuck's face, questioning the appearance of the person he was looking at. "Sheldon…you look different…"

"So do you", he joked lightly. "It's called growing up"

Sheldon stood upright and looked down at Tucker; he'd kept some of that roundness to his face. The boy in turn looked up at Sheldon and accused with his eyes the odd leap in alteration- the squared off features and increased height seeming…unnatural. Brushing his suspicions aside Tuck brought himself back around to simply being happy that his friend had returned. He felt somewhat shocked when Sheldon wrapped his arm around his shoulders and pulled him close, the almond shaped eyes of his friend narrowing slightly.

"Now that we've got introductions out of the way", he lightly flicked Tucker's button nose with his index finger as he smiled playfully. "…let's transition over to the business end of our meeting for a bit", he paused, waited for tucker to nod. "Good. Now, you brought the card key, correct?"

"Yeah, here", Tuck pulled the requested item out of his back pocket and handed it with a proud smile to Sheldon. "Just like I promised"

"Yes", Sheldon rustled Tuck's hair, his fingers running through the boy's thick black locks. "I knew I could trust you Tucker"

"Anytime", the boy promised with a naïve grin.

Sheldon eyed the plastic card in his hand; face hardening slightly as he realized that he had reached the next phase of his plan. Tuck quirked his head to the side as he watched Sheldon's eyes glaze over with a foreign kind of distance. He'd never known Sheldon to have a dark look about him, but as he stood there thinking about whatever he was thinking about Tuck couldn't help but wonder if he was scheming.

Sheldon felt Tuck's heavy gaze and turned to him. He smiled a pleasant smile and the boy felt more at ease as he returned the gesture. Reaching down Sheldon ruffled the boy's hair once more.

"I bet you ran the maintenance routine I asked for as well?" he inquired.

"Yup", Tucker felt nervous for some reason, partly because his brother was going to be upset that he didn't come home right after school and partly because Sheldon seemed so odd about the whole meeting. "He's just how you left him"

Tuck was shocked to find Sheldon frown despite the good news.

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk." He scolded himself, shaking his head and tapping his lower lip. "That won't do very well will it? I'll need to upgrade him a little"

"I can help!" Tucker suggested with fervor.

"No", Sheldon's voice snapped somewhat harshly, but he softened at the hurt look on Tuck's face. "I mean, your brother is probably worried. Go home before he comes looking for you and we can hang out later"

"Well…okay…" he turned to leave, but Sheldon cleared his throat and caught his fleeting attention. "Yeah?"

"You got distracted on your way home by a stray dog", Sheldon instructed, smiling when Tucker nodded with understanding.

"Okay…" he hesitantly turned to leave.

Tucker didn't want to leave so soon but Sheldon seemed determined to be on his way alone that the boy felt he was imposing. He left Sheldon with a smile on his face, but questions were birthing in his brain. Why had Sheldon been gone so long and to where? How come he hadn't taken the Silver Shell with him? Worry crossed his face as he rounded the corner, Tuck slowed in pace and soon came to a stop. He looked back though he could not see Sheldon.

"Are you okay Shell?" he wondered aloud. "You seem troubled…"

A shadow hung over Sheldon's lowered face; he welcomed the darkness around him, eyes adverting from the glimmer reflected off the armored surface. This thing he had created, Sheldon loathed it with a passion. He had thought long and hard about a way to go about this however, and the Silver Shell was the only one to get through to Jenny. Once she realized they were one in the same she would have to accept that she loved Sheldon because she loved the Silver Shell.

But first there was still the little matter known through spite as Vexes. She would have to be dealt with before he could reveal himself. If he helped Jenny defeat her long time foe for good they would end the war between humans and robots forever. Jenny would love him for it and nothing would stand between the two of them being together. He had the looks she wanted, the brains she wanted and he would be the hero she wanted.

Everything would be perfect. His eyes drifted closed as he envisioned the victory, having Jenny at his arm and smiling. Everyone who ever laughed at him, called him names- called him crazy, they would be silenced. And best of all…

He would have Jenny.

((Author's Note))

Another chapter! Oh my! sorry for the lag, i've just been occupied with my other story over in the Freakazoid fandome "Glitch" and my webcomic Ego. But, I LOVE this story so please don't give up on me! I promise the updates will start coming more regularly.

Brace yourselves guys the next chapter is going to be longer and filled with action- plus, more Sheldon and Jenny interaction. Thank you for the support through the hiatus, but rejoice because it is officially over!

Woo!


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